Milling cutter toolhead



@CL 5, i954 Y 1 0, CREEK 2,690,703

MILLING CUTTER TOOLHEAD Filed Jan. l5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l "4 ze a g u N i @E \/2 l Q 5 l N l 22 I I @I O a 25 r 8 3 l. I4 22 Q l a 2/ --2l 2/ 4 ,3 /4 4 /NvENToR J. O. CPE EK PU? TT ORNE Y @et 5, 1954 J Q CREEK 2,690,703

MILLING CUTTER TOOLHEAD Filed Jan. 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 5, 1954 U l ST sys S @TENT OFFICE MILLENG CUTTER TOOLHEAD Application Ilanuary l5, 1952, Serial No. 266,457

6 Claims.

The invention relates to milling cutter tool heads, and more particularly to a milling cutter tool head which is especially adapted for use in machining trough-shaped recesses.

In the production of experimental test blades for use in connection with the design and development of the blades of the turbines and compressors of gas turbine engines, it is desired to make each blade from a block of appropriate length, cut off from bar stock, by milling a troughshaped recess in the block corresponding to the concave face of the blade. To suit the design oi such test blades, the ends of the trough-shaped recess must be solid or closed; and in the case of a blade of highly cambered aerofoil section, the recess must be substantially semi-circular in cross section.

A shallow trough-shaped recess having closed ends can be cut by reciprocating a standard milling cutter relatively to a workpiece. However, the driving arbor of the cutter would foul the surface of the workpiece at the closed or uncut ends of the trough-shaped recess, if an attempt were made to cut a trough-shaped recess of substantially semi-circular cross section, and it is consequently impractical to use a standard milling cutter tool head for this purpose.

The main object of the present invention is, therefore, the provision of an improved construction of milling cutter tool head in which a pair -'i distance exceeding half the length of the recesses i to be out. In practice, for machining some test blades, the distance between 'the faces ci the cutters is only 11A; inches. This close spacing of the milling cutters creates a diicult problem in devising a suitable driving means, particularly since it is necessary to employ a relatively powerful i motor when driving milling cutters and there is no room for a large diameter output gear to obtain a favourable gear ratio.

Obviously the use of a drive arbor such as used in a standard milling machine is not practical. f Y Yet it is essential that the power transmission i mechanism be strong and steady. 'Ihe use oi a train of gears would result in chatter due to the slight play which is inevitable at each point of (Cl. Sii-"11) 2 meshing of the gears. volved in chain or other ordinary types of drive.

According to this invention, the milling cutter tool head comprises an output gear having a mounting at each end for a. milling cutter, a pair of milling cutters mounted coaxially of the said output gear, a prime mover gear meshing with the said output gear, and a casing which constitutes a hydraulic motor casing and having a portion of which encloses and supports the said output gear for rotary movement, the said casing below, or on the side remote from the prime mover gear of, a plane in which lies the axis of rotation of the cutters lying entirely within a hypothetical cylinder the ends of which are formed by the cutters.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a milling machine on which is mounted a tool head in accordance with the invention;

Fig, 2 is a side elevation of a milling cutter tool head constructed in accordance with the invention, one side cover plate being omitted;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line III- III oi Fig. 2 with both side plates shown;

Fig. 4 is a broken away perspective view on an enlarged scale of the output gear showing one cutter mounted thereon;

Fig. 5 is a broken away perspective view oi the head;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a milling cutter tool head constructed in accordance with a further` embodiment of the invention, one side cover plate being omitted; and

Fig. '7 is a section taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 1, a workpiece l is mounted on a table 2 of a milling machine, and a tool head 3 constructed in accordance with the present in` vention and incorporating its own hydraulic driving motor for a pair of rotary side and face milling cutters 4, 5,. is mounted on a vertically movable slide of the milling machine. By moving the table 2 to reciprocate the workpiece I in a horizental plane whilst feeding the tool head 3 downwardly, it is possible to mill a trough-shaped recess 5 with closed ends in the workpiece l, the depth of which recess is as great as the radius of the milling cutters 4.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3, which illustrate the detailed construction of the milling cutter A similar problem is in-v tool head 3 used in the machine shown in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the said tool head includes a casing composed of a horizontal plate and three vertical plates held together by bolts extending through suitable holes drilled in the plates. The centre plate G has two parallel over-lapping bores in which are mounted an output gear 'I and a meshing prime movengear 8. Ateach.end of the output gear I-is'a concentric spigot' 9'-(see Fig. 4). A concentric bore extends through the gear and is tapped at each end to receive a correspondingly' screw-thread shank I of a side and-face milling cutter 4, one screw being right hand and the other being left hand according tothedirection of ro'- tation of the cutters 4. Theouter cover plates II and I2 of the casing are bored to receivethe The'gears 'I and` 8f are=V adaptedz to bedriven.

around by oil'underra'press11re;.forv example, of '700' lbsl. Vper square.A inch; introducedi through an inlet port I3` pro.vided:aionesidezofV the point of meshing of the; gears-amt discharging` through a-main exhaust porti IAS disposedi adjacent. the other side of thelsaidmeshing.y point.. To balance thev radiali pressure` ont the primeymover gear. 8l

imposed by the oil in the inlet and exhaustports, abalance port I5. connected: tui thevinlet'g porti I 3 isf` provided diametricallyopposite-:to the saidinlet port I 3', and. abalancet-port It:` connected to theV exhaust porti Itis-provided. diametrically oppositethe saidexhaust'fportrlz. Balanceports are lnot providedy for the-f output'. gear 'I' because of thexthinness' of?v the: section oft the casing sur.- rounding this gear. Howeyer,.the;radial;oilpressure on` the-output' geair-'I-' isbalancedtosome extentlby the. reation:otthefpressurewf: the milling cutters 4i onA the-s workpiece;

Passageways for: uidragre provided in Athe casing by means ofi'groovess formedi inf` the faces of Ythezcentral platet 'andfboresextending through the plates 6', IIa-nd IZandztlie horizontal. plate I'I to which the vertical plates-'arcisecured The plate: |11" is connected'. by means: of bolts (not shown) to bracket I8 on the slide of the millingvmachine (seef Fig; 1)- the: saidz plate: |11' being located'lby meansofa splinef Ila. An inlet pipe or` tubeY |91 for uid undeirpressure and'an exhaust pipe 2D connect to the bracketilandcommunicate with passageways therein tothepassageways in the head hereafter described.

The'fluidinletipor-tl ISvisrsupplied.by'azpassagewayformed bytwo grooves: 2I, 2I formed in the centralp'latee"andenclosedfby theiplates II and I2,4 respectively. Ar transversefbore 22 connects the passagewaysY formed by: thegrooves 2|, 2|' to a; vertical bore; 23- Whichconnects through passageway-noty shown. Balanceinlet port I is'conne'cted by a-.bore^24"to the-'bore 23.

Exhaust port I4 isconnected tofa passageway provided byagroove 25 inone.- face of; the plate 6. A-- similar groove (not shown)- isfformed in.

the other face, and the grooves are connected by transverse bores 2-6 in plates II.- and I2. to

vertical bores 21 (see Iig.l 5), which connects to exhaust line 20. Balance exhaust port I6 opens into grooves 28, 28 in the opposite faces of the plate E, these grooves being connected to the transverse exhaust bores, 26, 26 respectively.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, a further prime mover gear 29 is used which coacts with the prime mover gear 8 to;constitute.the hydraulic motor which drives output gear 'I' andi milling cuttersillf. With this arrangement balance ports are provided for both ofthe prime mover gears 8 and 29 subjected tothepressure of the oil in the inlet port I3 andthe exhaust port I4', as is clearly shown in Fig. 6; in which-balance ports I5 and I5 are i connected with inlet port I3 in the fluid pressure-system; and valance ports I5' and I6" are connected with. exhaust port I4 in the exhaust system.

The balance ports are connected to suitable passageways which, for the sake of clarity have niet4 been shown" in Figs. (iV andl 7, since with necessary, modicationsthey. are similar to those shownimFigsa 1, to-5; 'Iheconstruction illus.-

trated in Figs. Gfand V'lis otherwisesimilar tothat` previously described: With-reference to Figs. 2 and 3.. except, asshown, the; gears 8 and 2S areV mountedior rotation onithe pinsj, 33, .b5/.means for example,` or needle-roller-bearings, and the bearings of4 the output gear are provided with.-

suita-blebushings 3:1. With a. construction in accordancewithy Figs. 6 and, 'I designed for a distance-between the outerffacesof the cutters of. onlyl 11A;v inches, oiliulder'a pressure of` 100G lbs.,per square inch mayl be.- used to produce an outputof. approximately one horsepower. Since ally the; gearsare, operating inl oil under. high pressure, backlash is virtually eliminated andthe milling operation. consequently performed without chatter ofthe cutters.-

It .willlbe observedthatinboth embodiments` described the lower portionA of the casingV enclosing the output gear isof thin crosssection and.- substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and in accordancewith the invention, the portion of the casing'. which enclosesY and. supportsthe output gear lies,.at least on one sideof aplane. in which lies the axis ofrotationof the cutters,- within a hypotheticalcylinderthe endsfof -which are formed bythecutters.- To` provide the necessary strength and to` accommodate the. fluidpassages and'main inlet;andL exhaust ports, the casing Widenson the .other side. ofthe said. plane passing through thefaxis of .rotation of thecutters, but since this wider portiondoesfnotextend beyond said plane it therefore will not foul the surface ofthe Workpiece.

Itfisfto be understood that the details of construction ofthe above described.. embodiments of the; invention may be modied without exceeding the scope of .the invention asdened in the appendedclaims. For example, instead of makingthe :casing fromrthree layers` of appropriately shaped plate, a casing cast froma suitable non.- porous metal couldbei employed. Moreover in theconstruction.I illustratedzinFigures 2 and 3 the prime mover gear 8: could, if desired, be mounted inthesame manner as the prime mover gears-shown inFigures and 7. Similarly in the construction illustrated in Figures 6v and 7 the primemover gears could, berotatably mounted inithe-same, manner: as; the prime mover gear showninv Figuresf 2' and 3;

Whatl Iclaim asfmy inventionis:

1. A milling cuttertool` head. comprising an outputgear having, amounting at each end for a milling cutter, a pair of milling cutters mounted coaxially of said output gear, a prime mover gear meshing with the said output gear, a hydraulic motor casing enclosing and supporting the said gears for rotary movement, inlet and exhaust ports in the casing for introducing fluid under pressure to one side of the point of meshing of the gears and exhausting it on the other side, and passageways in the casing for conveying iiuid under pressure to and from the inlet and exhaust ports respectively, the portion of said casing which encloses and supports the said output gear lying, on the side remote from the prime mover gear of a plane in which lies the axis of rotation of the cutters and which is extraneous to the periphery of the prime mover gear, entirely Within a hypothetical cylinder the ends of which are formed by the cutters.

2. A milling cutter tool head as claimed in claim 1 in Which the casing is formed of three plates secured together, the central plate being provided with bores to receive the gears, and the other plates enclosing said bores and providing bearings for the gears.

3. A milling cutter tool head as claimed in claim 1 in which the casing is formed of three plates secured together, the central plate being provided with grooves in its faces, and the other plates enclosing the grooves to form the passageways for transmission of fluid to the gears.

4. A milling cutter tool head as claimed in claim 1, in which the portion of the casing which lies within the said hypothetical cylinder is semi-cylindrical, and the casing contiguous to said semi-cylindrical portion extends outwardly beyond the periphery of the hypothetical cylinder.

5. A milling cutter tool head as claimed in claim l, in which the output gear is provided with a concentric spigot at each end thereof adapted to form a bearing for the rotary mounting of the said output gear.

6. A milling cutter tool head as claimed in claim 1, in which the prime mover gear meshes with a further prime mover gear.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,029,208 Melling June 11, 1912 1,321,881 Birchland et al. Nov. 18, 1919 1,438,159 Harsel Dec. 5, 1922 1,516,543 Meier Nov. 25, 1924 2,332,609 Simons Oct. 26, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,717 Great Britain 1913 458,112 Great Britain Dec. 14, 1936 551,065 Great Britain Feb. 5, 1943 

